The present invention relates to a frozen beer product, an apparatus for freezing and dispensing beer, and a method of freezing and dispensing beer and other single-strength beverages.
Frozen beverages, usually of a slush consistency, are well known. Equipment has been developed for freezing carbonated and noncarbonated beverages. In a typical frozen carbonated beverage machine, water, carbon dioxide and a flavored, sweetened syrup are supplied to the machine. The carbon dioxide and water are mixed to form carbonated water. The syrup is added and the mixture is then frozen.
In other equipment, the beverage to be frozen is held in a tank and drawn out by gravity into a freezing chamber.
Heretofore it has not been commonly known to use beer to make a frozen beverage. Part of the problem with using beer is that the beer contains alcohol, which reduces its freezing point. Another drawback has been that in equipment used to freeze products from a full-strength initial beverage (also referred to herein as a single-strength beverage), the beverage was exposed to air. Especially with citrus based beer, exposure to air generates an off-taste in the product. Beer manufacturers are very concerned that their products are handled and dispensed in such a way that no foreign material is introduced into the beer, and that no off-tastes are generated in it.
If a frozen beer product could be commercially produced, it would be desirable that the frozen product not experience a high level of volume reduction between the time it is served and when it is consumed. If the dispensed frozen beer product fills up a cup when initially served, but melts, settles or otherwise significantly reduces in volume in a short time, customers may feel cheated. Thus it would be beneficial to develop a frozen beer product that maintains at least 90% of its volume during the first 30 minutes after being served.
It would also be beneficial if equipment used to produce a frozen beer product could be self-contained and portable, such that it could be moved from place to place within an establishment that desires to sell a frozen beer product.
A frozen beer product and apparatus for producing it has been invented that, in its preferred embodiments, solves the aforementioned problems and has the identified positive attributes.
In a first aspect, the invention is a method of freezing and dispensing a beer product comprising; providing beer in a sealed, refrigerated storage container under pressure; feeding beer from the storage container to a sealed freezing chamber through a sealed delivery system; freezing the beer in the chamber; and dispensing frozen beer from the chamber.
In a second aspect, the invention is a beer freezing and dispensing system comprising: a source of refrigerated beer under pressure; a sealed freezing chamber; a sealed delivery system connecting the source of refrigerated beer to the freezing chamber; and a dispensing system for dispensing frozen beer from the freezing chamber.
Other aspects of the invention are applicable to single-strength beverages in general, rather than just beer.
In its preferred method, the beer remains in a sealed system and is not brought into contact with air until it is dispensed. Furthermore, other than carbon dioxide used to pressurize the system and force the beer from the storage container and through the beer freezing and dispensing system, no other substance or material is introduced into the system. The beer is not contaminated or diluted in the preferred method of the invention, as carbon dioxide is normally present in beer and is not considered a foreign material.
The preferred apparatus is portable. Moreover, the self-contained beer storage unit could be used separately as a self-contained beer storage and serving unit. However it is designed to be able to carry the weight of the beer freezing and dispensing apparatus so that both can be rolled out to a place where frozen beer products are desired and simply plugged into a standard electrical wall outlet.